Addressing a significant training gap in modern medical education, the Rutgers School of Nursing and Wall Township-based Caregility have announced a first-of-its-kind partnership in New Jersey to integrate virtual care training directly into undergraduate nursing education.
While the health care industry is rapidly adopting digital models—with 88% of U.S. hospitals now utilizing some form of inpatient virtual care—nursing education has struggled to keep pace. According to recent data, more than half of the nation’s nursing schools currently lack a dedicated telehealth curriculum for undergraduate students.
This collaboration aims to prepare the next generation of nurses for the reality of “connected care,” moving beyond bedside-only training to include fluency in digital communication, AI-assisted tools, and remote clinical workflows.
Through this partnership, Caregility is providing Rutgers with its Connected Care™ Platform and advanced hardware to create simulated virtual care environments. The school will install seven wall-mounted technology systems—featuring high-zoom cameras, specialized microphones, and video monitoring—at nursing labs in both Newark and New Brunswick.
“Educating students for contemporary nursing practice means helping them develop fluency not only in bedside care, but also in the digital tools, communication models, and collaborative workflows that increasingly support patient care,” Angela Starkweather, dean and professor at the Rutgers School of Nursing, said.
The School of Nursing is rolling out a new coursework track that covers essential areas of digital-age practice, including:
- Clinical Proficiency: Training in virtual patient engagement, admissions, discharges, and remote observation.
- Digital Literacy: Operational training in AI-assisted clinical tools and secure technology use.
- Ethics and Privacy: Best practices for patient data privacy within a virtual environment.
Beyond undergraduate training, the school plans to expand this initiative by developing a certificate program in virtual nursing for practicing professionals through its Center for Professional Development.
“Virtual care is no longer a future concept in healthcare,” noted Susan Kristiniak, Caregility’s chief nursing officer. “It is part of how care is delivered every day. By working with the Rutgers School of Nursing… we have an opportunity to help prepare future nurses for the realities of connected care.”
As virtual nursing continues to expand into hospital-at-home services, tele-intensive care, and broader care coordination, this partnership positions Rutgers as a leader in evolving nursing practice to meet the demands of a digitally enabled healthcare system.
